The debut album from the indie-folk artist is deeply emotional — using an acoustic soundscape to drive the contemplative poetry on another level.
Long story short, Kevin Atwater is sad. But there’s something extremely particular about the emotions he tends to describe beneath the surface. In a way, listening to this record feels like you’re in a dark room with him, and he’s telling you his deepest darkest secrets, as you promise to never tell anyone. It’s a different kind of vulnerability that you won’t come across much these days. Rather than meticulously choosing which parts of him you get to know, he puts everything on the table, leaving little for interpretation.
This is, of course, because of his exceptional ability to tell an effective story — both in each individual song but also in the entire album, offering the raw and unfiltered story of his youth. The biggest recurring theme is him navigating growing up as a gay teenage boy in the midwest, as many of his previous works are. However, with this album, he’s found the perfect balance of general relatability and his own personal experiences.
The highlights of this album include but are not limited to “the cage”, “origami roses”, and his best work so far, “Jamie’s Daydreams”. In only a 31-minute run time, there is quite a lot to unpack. The magic lies in the fact that no background information is necessary to fully grasp the stories. With just one listen, it’s clear to know exactly what happened, how he felt about it, and how he feels about it now. Each one a little different, the instrumentation moves the atmosphere along as much as the intricate detail and narration. On top of all of this, the sheer desperation and anguish in Atwater’s voice solidifies this as an incredible debut — and from what we’ve seen, he’s only getting started.
